Human Capital Support Services

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES (SOO) Cornerstones of Supervision I. Purpose: The purpose of this SOO is to acquire support services to modify an existing 32-hour supervisory skills program, Cornerstones of Supervision, to add features necessary to achieve an outcome of demonstrated, sustained use of targeted supervisory skills in daily job performance, particularly in the key skill areas of situational leadership, conflict management and team management behaviors. The overarching goal of this SOO is to ensure that graduates are using these skills in their day-to-day supervision of staff. Transfer of learning will be measured by a Kirkpatrick Level 3 post-program assessment of each participant preferably by his or her direct reports or team members (for team leaders) 2 - 3 months after completion of the program. The revised curriculum will be offered 2 times during the sixteen month performance period. II. Scope: Support services to modify the existing Cornerstones of Supervision program to add new content and elements necessary to achieve sustained use of the targeted supervisory skills. The contractor shall propose the target behavioral goals and measures and shall develop, implement and test additional strategies and elements necessary to achieve the proposed behavioral goals and measures. The contractor shall deliver the Cornerstones of Supervision program at least twice (one of the deliveries will be a pilot). Additional offerings of the program may be delivered through optional tasks in future years. III. Period and Place of Performance: The period of performance will be sixteen months, from the date of award through January, 2012. Revision of the curriculum will be done at the vendor's site. Classes will be delivered at the Government's site in Washington DC or in regional sites in Federal Student Aid's classroom facilities. IV. Background: Federal Student Aid (FSA) is a performance-based organization within the Department of Education charged with delivering financial aid for students to pursue postsecondary education. It provides over $129 billion in grants, loans and other aid to13 million recipients annually and processes about 20 million financial aid applications (FAFSAs) annually. It also manages a loan portfolio of over half a trillion dollars ($662 billion). Its workforce of approximately 1,200 is located in Washington, DC and 10 regional offices throughout the country. Its supervisory force numbers about 182. About 20% of FSA supervisors are based in the regional locations and supervises about 40% of the workforce. FSA has delivered the Cornerstones of Supervision program for nearly 6 years. In that time half of FSA's supervisory force has completed it. The purpose of Cornerstones of Supervision is to help new supervisory staff successfully make the transition from individual contributor to someone who accomplishes work through others. Although open to all supervisors and team leaders, Cornerstones of Supervision is required of anyone serving in the first supervisory appointment of their career. A copy of the facilitator guide is attached as Attachment 1 to this SOO. FSA has professional coaching services available for managers. Recently, coaches have supported Cornerstones of Supervision participants with 3-5 hours of one-on-one coaching to reinforce application of the concepts and skills learned in class. In an effort to design programs that produce behavior change, FSA commissioned a study of best practices in producing behavior change in leadership and management development programs. The study was recently completed. FSA wants to apply the recommendations as appropriate. A copy of the study is attached as Attachment 2 to this SOO. V. Performance Objectives: 1. The most critical objective of this requirement is to achieve sustained transfer of the behavioral goals and skills from the training to on the job performance. 2. The contractor shall propose the target behavioral goals, measures and assessment instrument as part of the modification to the existing Cornerstones of Supervision program. 3. The contractor shall develop and implement additional strategies and elements necessary to achieve the target behavioral goals and measures for the skill areas in the Cornerstones of Supervision program. 4. The contractor shall deliver a pilot for as many as 15 participants at the Government site in Washington, DC or a regional site. The Government will manage registration and logistics for the classroom component. 5. The contractor shall evaluate the extent to which target behavioral goals and measures were reached within 3 months after the completion of the pilot and make adjustments based upon the evaluation results. 6. The Government requires that the contractor deliver a second program at the Government site in Washington, DC or a regional site for as many as 15 participants. The Government will manage registration and logistics for the classroom component. V. Optional Tasks: The Government may require the delivery of additional Cornerstones of Supervision sessions at the FSA Headquarters' site in Washington, DC and/or regional sites. The Government will manage the registration and logistics for the classroom component for the optional sessions. VI. Deliverables: Deliverable Due Date Notes of kick-off meeting summarizing decisions made, issues addressed and next steps. Within 2 workdays after kick-off meeting Draftdocument detailing behavioral targets and measures TBD Final document detailing behavioral targets and measures TBD Kirkpatrick Level 3 post-program assessment instrument geared to participant direct reports or team members (Format of this deliverable TBD - this deliverable may be a document or online instrument accessed through TMS) TBD Complete set of draft pilot instructional materials, including electronic versions of a comprehensive facilitator guide and participant guide, PowerPoint slide shows and any handouts all in Microsoft format, videos, books, preference profile instruments, job aids in hard and/or electronic format, as appropriate TBD Complete set of pilot instructional materials, including electronic versions of a comprehensive facilitator guide and participant guide, PowerPoint slide shows and any handouts all in Microsoft format, videos, books, preference profile instruments, job aids in hard and/or electronic format, as appropriate TBD Copies of pilot instructional materials for 15 participants, including binders,. By date of delivery of pilot session Copies of Kirkpatrick Level 3 post program assessment results for pilot program in electronic format Within 2 months after completion of pilot Evaluation Report including plans for changes suggested from the pilot Within 2 months after completion of pilot Complete set of final version of all instructional materials, including facilitator guide and participant guide, PowerPoint slide shows and any handouts all in Microsoft format, additional videos purchased, books, preference profile instruments (except LBA II instruments, if used, which will furnished by the Government), job aids in hard and/or electronic format, as appropriate By 2 workdays before start of 2nd program. Instructional materials for 15 participants, including copies of participant guides, handouts and binders, books, preference profile instruments (except LBA II instrument, if used, which will furnished by the Government), job aids and any other instructional materials to be distributed to participants By date of delivery of session Copies of Kirkpatrick Level 3 post program assessment results for 2nd program at completion of 2nd program All deliverables are to be provided to the Contracting Officer and the project manager electronically: Sarah Babson Project Manager E-mail: Sarah.Babson@ed.gov Amanda Pafford Contracting Officer E-mail: Amanda.Pafford@ed.gov VII. Operating Constraints: 1. The total investment of participants' time cannot exceed 80 hours over the course of 6 months. Of those 80 hours, classroom time cannot exceed 40 hours over 4 months. 2. Cornerstones of Supervision is an existing program which has been offered at FSA for nearly 6 years. Its current design is very popular and enjoys a certain level of success in the organization; therefore, certain features of the current program must remain. These include - Its focus on both leading and managing others. Skill areas covered by Cornerstones include team dynamics, adapting supervisory approach to needs of each employee using the Blanchard Hersey Situational Leadership model, managing conflict, delegating, managing difficult conversations and engaging employees. - Emphasis on building a peer network by having the same cohort of participants meet at regular intervals over a period of time. Examples of recent meeting schedules include meeting for 1 days every 4 weeks for 2 months (to accommodate regional participants who needed to travel for the class) or for the class to meet for one day every 3 weeks for 3 months. It is important that the final design allow for the continued use of varied meeting schedules to meet our participants' needs. - Facilitator having familiarity with federal HR rules and practices. Although federal HR rules are not the focus of the course, participants often bring questions to class that require some knowledge of federal civil service rules to answer. 3. The contractor may be required to attend meetings at the government facility to review the management and requirements of the project. 4. It is understood that the vendor cannot control all the variables affecting behavior change or elicit the application of desired skills by each and every participant. 5. No special security requirements are needed. 6. FSA is aware that legislation is pending that is likely to require development activities such as mentoring for new supervisors (S.674 Federal Supervisor Training Act of 2009). To the extent they are relevant and appropriate these features should be incorporated in the revised program design. Instruction on federal HR policies, however, is outside the scope of the SOO which is focused on soft skill acquisition. VIII. Government Furnished Resources: The government will provide the classroom facilities and will handle logistical arrangements and registration. - DVD: Rules of Engagement, if retained in the modified program - DVD: Performance Matters: the Need for Constructive Criticism , if retained in the modified program - Leader Behavior Analysis II (Situational Leadership) assessment - Administrative supplies, including table tent cards, flip charts, markers, projection equipment; attendance sheets and evaluations sheets. - Level I evaluations ? Attachment 1: Cornerstones of Supervision Facilitator Guide Attachment 2: Benchmarking Study of Development Programs The U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid (FSA) has a need for support services to modify an existing 32-hour supervisory skills program, Cornerstones of Supervision, to add features necessary to achieve an outcome of demonstrated, sustained use of targeted supervisory skills in daily job performance, particularly in the key skill areas of situational leadership, conflict management and team management behaviors. The U.S. Department of Education is seeking the services of a Contractor for the required tasks as outlined in the scope of the attached Statement of Objectives (SOO), Attachment A to this RFQ. Federal Student Aid intends to issue a single contract against the GSA schedule of the contractor for the term of sixteen months. The contract will be awarded in accordance with the terms and provisions contained in the General Services Administration Schedule contract of the contractor. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The period of performance will be for sixteen months from the date of award. The Government anticipates award of this contract prior to September 27, 2010. TYPE OF CONTRACT: The Government contemplates a Firm-Fixed-Price type of contract for this requirement. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS Offerors are requested to submit the required information as delineated below. All documents shall be submitted in MS Word unless otherwise stated. The following guidance is provided for proposal submission: TECHNICAL: i. Technical Approach - The offeror shall provide FSA with a technical response detailing its understanding and capabilities relating to the requirements described in the Statement of Objectives (SOO) and describing in detail the proposed solution to meet the objectives and tasks of the SOO and the qualifications of the key personnel as related to the SOO requirements. ii. Past Performance - The contractor shall provide FSA with a synopsis of two (2) projects within the last 3 years for similar Support Services. The synopsis must be no more than 4 pages. Complete the top part of the Past Performance Questionnaire Form (Attachment B) and include the point of contact (POC) information for references (email addresses, telephone number). Your references must submit the past performance evaluation to the Contracting Officer or Contract Specialist on or before the proposals due date as stated below under Tentative Schedule. Also, note that offerors are encouraged to provide examples of addressing past success at achieving desired skill transfer as measured by Kirkpatrick Level 3 Evaluation. iii. Resumes (Not-to-Exceed 3 pages per resume, include training and experience). The offeror shall provide FSA with the resumes of proposed key personnel, which clearly indicate how each individual meets the qualifications identified in the SOO. PRICE: The offeror shall provide FSA with its price proposal as listed below: a. A copy of the offeror's GSA (MOBIS) Schedule Contract along with the Labor Categories, Rates from GSA Schedule and discounted rates, if any. b. A detailed price proposal stating the labor categories that will be used for this effort, the rates applicable to the labor category, number of hours proposed, and a basis of estimate for the proposed hours. PLACE of PERFORMANCE: Revision of the curriculum will be performed at the vendor's site. Classes will be delivered at the Government's site in Washington DC at Federal Student Aid's facility located at 830 1st Street N.E., Washington, DC or in regional sites in Federal Student Aid's classroom facilities. EVALUATION FACTORS: 1. Technical Solution - The Government will evaluate the offeror's proposed approach in achieving FSA's objectives of designing and developing the required training that has a high probability of transferring the taught supervisory skills to habitual on-the-job use as measured by the Kirkpatrick Level 3 Evaluation. The Government will also evaluate the quality of key personnel proposed to the project including expertise in instructional design and development. 2. Past Performance - The Government will evaluate the relevancy of the projects identified in the offeror's synopsis and the offeror's ability to develop and teach a class that transfers the taught skills to on-the-job use as measured by the Kirkpatrick Level 3 Evaluation. Offerors are strongly encouraged to demonstrate past success in achieving sustained skill transfer to on-the-job performance in their narrative. Because sustained use of the targeted skills is a critical objective of this project, preference will be given to proposals that demonstrate this past success. The Government will use the Past Performance Questionnaire/Information Form (Attachment B) to determine the references satisfaction in respect to quality, problem resolution, cost control, timeliness, business relations, and customer service. 3. Price - The Government will evaluate the overall proposed price in terms of reasonableness and realism. BASIS for AWARD: The evaluation criteria are hereby stated in terms of ranking importance with Technical and Past Performance being more important than Price. The Government will make an award decision on a best value basis. The Government reserves the right to award this requirement without discussions. Therefore, the initial quote should contain the offeror's best terms from a technical and price standpoint. The Government also reserves the right to conduct discussions and to permit the offeror to submit a revised quote if the Contracting Officer deems it necessary. Failure to adhere to all solicitation instructions may result in the removal of the quote from further evaluation and consideration for award. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE: August 25, 2010 RFQ Issuance September 7, 2010 Deadline for Questions to FSA September 9, 2010 Proposal Due Date September 20, 2010 Contract Award SUBMISSION of QUOTE: Offerors shall provide FSA with the documents stated above no later than 4:30 p.m. Monday, September 9, 2010. These documents shall be submitted via email to Amanda.Pafford@ed.gov and Linwood.Cherry@ed.gov. Failure to timely submit your response may result in your quote receiving no further evaluation or consideration for award. Should you have any questions regarding this request, please contact Linwood Cherry at (202) 377-3187 or Amanda Pafford at 202-377-3928 or via email at the addresses stated above. Sincerely, Amanda Pafford Contracting Officer U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid Attachments: A. Statement of Objectives (SOO) B. Past Performance Questionnaire